The "Middle East and Terrorism" Blog was created in order to supply information about the implication of Arab countries and Iran in terrorism all over the world. Most of the articles in the blog are the result of objective scientific research or articles written by senior journalists.

From the Ethics of the Fathers: "He [Rabbi Tarfon] used to say, it is not incumbent upon you to complete the task, but you are not exempt from undertaking it."

Friday, May 20, 2016

The obligations of proportionality require that no
side employ any level of force that is greater than what is needed to
achieve a legitimate political and operational objective.

It appears that several major Palestinian terror groups have begun to prepare for mega-terror attacks on Israel.

The authoritative rules of war do not equate "proportionality"
with how many people die in each side of a conflict. In war, no side is
ever required to respond to aggression with only the equivalent measure
of force. Rather, the obligations of proportionality require that no
side employ any level of force that is greater than what is needed to
achieve a legitimate political and operational objective.

Under pertinent international law, the use of one's own people as
"human shields" -- because such firing from populated areas is intended
to deter Israeli reprisals, or to elicit injuries to Palestinian
civilians -- represents a codified war crime. More specifically, this
crime is known as "perfidy." This is plainly an attempt to make the IDF
appear murderous when it is compelled to retaliate, but it is simply a
Palestinian manipulation of legal responsibility. Under law, those Arab
residents who suffer from Israeli retaliations are incurring the
consequences of their own government's war crimes.

International law is not a suicide pact. Instead, it offers a
universally binding body of rules and procedures that allows all states
to act on behalf of their "inherent right of self-defense."

Already, calls from various directions have begun to condemn Israel for its recent retaliatory strikes in self-defense at Gaza.[1]
The carefully-rehearsed refrain is all-too familiar. Gazan terrorists
fire rockets and mortars at Israel; then, the world calls upon the
Israel Air Force (IAF) not to respond.

Although Israel is plainly the victim in these ritualistic cycles of
Arab terror and required Israeli retaliations, the "civilized world"
usually comes to the defense of the victimizers. Inexplicably, in the
European Union, and even sometimes with the current U.S. president, the
Israeli response is reflexively, without thought, described as
"excessive" or "disproportionate."

Leaving aside the irony of President Obama's evident sympathies here
-- nothing that Israel has done in its own defense even comes close to
the indiscriminacy of recent U.S. operations in Afghanistan[2]
-- the condemnations are always unfounded. Plainly, Hamas and allied
Arab terror groups deliberately fire their rockets from populated areas
in Gaza at Israeli civilians. Under pertinent international law, this
use of one's own people as "human shields" -- because such firing from
populated areas is intended to deter Israeli reprisals, or to elicit
injuries to Palestinian civilians -- represents a codified war crime.
More specifically, this crime is known as "perfidy."

"Perfidy" is plainly an attempt to make the IDF appear murderous when
it is compelled to retaliate, but it is always simply a Palestinian
manipulation of true legal responsibility. Hamas's intent might be to
incriminate the Israelis as murderers of Gaza's civilians. Legally,
however, the net effect of Arab perfidy in Gaza is to free Israel of all
responsibility for Arab harm, even if it is Israeli retaliatory fire
that actually injures or kills the Gazan victims. Under law, those Arab
residents who suffer from Israeli retaliations are incurring the
consequences of their own government's war crimes. Palestinian
suffering, which we are surely about to see again in stepped-up,
choreographed Arab propaganda videos, remains the direct result of a
relentlessly cruel, insensitive, and criminal Hamas leadership.

Significant, too, although never really mentioned, is that this Hamas
leadership, similar to the PA and Fatah leadership, often sits safely
away from Gaza, tucked away inconspicuously in Qatar.
For these markedly unheroic figures, "martyrdom" is allegedly always
welcomed and revered, but only as long as this singular honor is
actually conferred upon someone else.

Moreover, the authoritative rules of war do not equate
"proportionality" with how many people die in each side of a conflict.
In war, no side is ever required to respond to aggression with only the
equivalent measure of force. Rather, the obligations of proportionality
require that no side employ any level of force that is greater than what
is needed to achieve a legitimate political and operational objective.

If the rule of proportionality were genuinely about an equivalent
number of dead, America's use of atomic weapons against Japanese
civilians in August 1945 would represent the greatest single expression
of "disproportionality" in human history.

It appears that several major Palestinian terror groups have begun to
prepare for mega-terror attacks on Israel. Such attacks, possibly in
cooperation with certain allied jihadist factions, could include
chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction. Over time,
especially if Iran, undeterred by the July 2015 Vienna Pact, should
agree to transfer portions of its residual nuclear materials to terror
groups, Israel could then have to face Palestinian-directed nuclear
terrorism.

One message is clear. If Israel, pressured by outside forces, allows
Palestinian terror from Gaza to continue unopposed, the state could
become increasingly vulnerable to even greater forms of Arab aggression.

Also important to keep in mind is that nuclear terror assaults
against Israel could be launched from trucks or ships, not only from
rockets and missiles.

What about Israel's active defenses? In its most recent defensive operations, Protective Edge and Pillar of Defense,
Israel accomplished an impressively high rate of "Iron Dome"
interceptions against incoming rockets from Gaza. Still, it would be a
mistake to extrapolate from any such relatively limited successes to the
vastly more complex hazards of strategic danger from Iran. Should Iran
"go nuclear" in ten years or sooner, that still recalcitrant Islamic
regime could launch at Israel missiles armed with nuclear warheads.

In its most recent defensive operations,
Israel accomplished an impressively high rate of "Iron Dome"
interceptions against incoming rockets from Gaza. Still, it would be a
mistake to extrapolate from any such relatively limited successes to the
vastly more complex hazards of strategic danger from Iran. (Image
source: IDF)

Sun Tzu, the ancient Chinese military thinker, already understood --
long before the nuclear age -- that too great a reliance on defense is
always misconceived. Today, Arrow, Israel's core ballistic
missile defense (BMD) interception system, would require a 100% rate
success against offensive nuclear missiles. At the same time, such a
rate is impossible to achieve, even if enhanced by Rafael's new
laser-based defenses. Israel must therefore continue to rely primarily
on deterrence for existential nuclear threats.

Although unacknowledged, Israel has always been willing to keep its
essential counterterrorism operations in Gaza consistent with the
established rules of humanitarian international law. Palestinian
violence, however, has remained in persistent violation of all accepted
rules of engagement -- even after Israel painfully "disengaged" from
Gaza in 2005.

Both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority still speak indignantly of
"the Occupation?" But where, precisely, is this "occupation?" After all
their agitated umbrage about Israeli "disproportionality," shouldn't the
Palestinians and their allies finally be able to answer that core
question? There are no Israelis in Gaza.

International law is not a suicide pact. Instead, it offers a
universally binding body of rules and procedures that allows all states
to act on behalf of their "inherent right of self-defense."[3]
When terrorists groups such as Hamas openly celebrate the "martyrdom"
of Palestinian children, and when Hamas leaders unhesitatingly seek
their own religious redemption through the mass-murder of Jewish
children, unfortunately these terrorists retain no legal right to demand
sanctuary.

In response to endless terror attacks from Gaza, Israel, with
countless leaflets, phone calls, "knocks on the roof," and other
warnings to its attackers, has been acting with an operational restraint
unequaled by any other nation and according to binding rules of war. In
these obligatory acts of self-defense there has not yet been the
slightest evidence of disproportionality.

Louis René Beres is Emeritus Professor of International Law at Purdue University. His just-published new book is titled Surviving Amid Chaos: Israel's Nuclear Strategy.

[1]
Speaking in Beirut on Channel 10 News, on May 7, 2016, Hezbollah leader
Hassan Nasrallah accused Israel of "attacking Gaza," continuing:
"Unfortunately, the Arab world is silent about the situation in Gaza.
... these actions must be condemned." Cited in Israel National News, "Nasrallah calls for condemnation of Israeli 'Attacks' on Gaza," May 7, 2016. Interesting, too, is that Nasrallah, a Shiite leader, is speaking here in strong support of Sunni Hamas.[2] See Alissa J. Rubin, "Airstrike Hits Doctors Without Borders Hospital in Afghanistan," The New York Times,
October 3, 2015. This is an account of the October 2015, U.S.
destruction of a crowded hospital in the embattled city of Kunduz. The
Pentagon confirmed the strike, which it called "collateral damage," and
President Obama offered condolences to the victims in what he termed a
"tragic incident." Doctors Without Borders was awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize in 1999.[3] See, especially, Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.

Louis René Beres is Emeritus Professor of International Law at Purdue University. His just-published new book is titled Surviving Amid Chaos: Israel's Nuclear Strategy.Source: http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/8014/israel-gaza-proportionality Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.

Today, the only free and independent Arabic newspapers in the Middle
East can be found inside Israel.

That is the sad state of
journalism in the Arab world: "If you're not with us, then you must be
against us and that is why we need to shut your mouth." A journalist who
does not agree to serve as a governmental mouthpiece is denounced as a
"traitor."

Hamas shut the Gaza offices of Al-Arabiya in July 2013, under the
pretext that the station broadcasted "incorrect news" about the
situation in the Gaza Strip. The closure did not receive much attention
from the international community and human rights organizations. Had the
office been closed by Israel, there would have been an international
outcry, with journalists screaming about Israeli "assaults on freedom of
the media."

Al-Arabiya, like many other Arab TV stations, has a bureau in
Israel, and its reporters enjoy more freedom reporting out of Jerusalem
and Tel Aviv than they do in the Arab world. Today, the only free and
independent Arabic newspapers in the Middle East can be found inside
Israel.

Thirty-five Arab journalists have been fired since the beginning of
April as a result of a campaign of intimidation and terrorism waged
against them by Hamas and Hezbollah.

The journalists were working for the Saudi-owned pan-Arab Al-Arabiya
television news channel, based in Dubai Media City in the United Arab
Emirates. The network was previously rated by the BBC among the top
pan-Arab stations.

But life for Al-Arabiya reporters has never been easy. Like most Arab
journalists covering the Arab and Islamic countries, they too have long
faced threats from various parties and governments.

That is the sad state of journalism in the Arab world: "If you're not
with us, then you must be against us and that is why we need to shut
your mouth." A journalist who does not agree to serve as a governmental
mouthpiece is denounced as a "traitor."

The absence of democracy and freedom of speech in most Arab and
Islamic countries has forced many Arab journalists to relocate to the
West. In the past four decades, some of the Arab world's best
journalists and writers moved to France and Britain, where they could
work without fearing for their lives.

But in the Arab world, freedom of the media remains a far-fetched
dream. There, if you are not threatened by the government, there is
always someone else who will find a reason to target you.

The case of the Al-Arabiya journalists is yet another example of the
dangers facing media representatives who do not toe the line or who dare
to challenge a government or a terrorist group.

Earlier this week, Al-Arabiya announced
that it was firing its eight workers in the Gaza Strip -- three years
after the Hamas government decided to shut the station's offices there.
The workers are Mohamed Jahjouh, Jamal Abu Nahel, Hanan al-Masri, Rula
Elayan, Mahmdouh al-Sayed, Sha'ban Mimeh, Ala Zamou and Ahmed al-Razi.

In an email to the workers, the Al-Arabiya management wrote:

"We appreciate your work with us during the previous
period. You were all an example of professional performance, but the
time has come for the hard decision after we exhausted all attempts to
reopen the offices, which were forcibly closed, as you know, by the
party that controls the street in the Gaza Strip."

Hamas shut
the Gaza offices of Al-Arabiya in July 2013, under the pretext that the
station had been broadcasting "incorrect news" about the situation in
the Gaza Strip. In addition to the closure, Hamas also confiscated the
equipment and furniture with an estimated value of $500,000, and
prevented the employees from entering the offices.

Hamas
shut the Gaza offices of Al-Arabiya in July 2013, under the pretext
that the station had been broadcasting "incorrect news" about the
situation in the Gaza Strip. (Image source: JN1 video screenshot)

The closure of the Al-Arabiya offices in the Gaza Strip did not
receive much attention from the international community and human rights
organizations. Had the office been closed by Israel, of course, there
would have been an international outcry, with journalists around the
world screaming about Israeli "assaults on freedom of the media."

Here is an unpleasant fact: Al-Arabiya, like many other Arab TV
stations, has a bureau in Israel, and its reporters enjoy more freedom
reporting out of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv than they do in the Arab world.
Today, the only free and independent Arabic newspapers in the Middle
East can be found inside Israel.

In the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the only newspapers available are
those that serve as an organ for the Palestinian Authority (PA) and
Hamas. Many Arab journalists feel unsafe working under the PA in the
West Bank. For the PA and Hamas alike, criticism is a crime.

Just this week, for example, Palestinian Authority security officers arrested
journalist Tareq Abu Zeid in Nablus after confiscating his personal
computer and mobile phone. No reason was given for Abu Zeid's arrest. He
joins scores of other journalists and bloggers who have been arrested
or interrogated by the PA in recent years.

Even Arab countries that once used to boast of being a base for free
media, such as Lebanon, are no longer able to defend journalists from
threats and violence.

Last month, Al-Arabiya also closed
its offices in Beirut, citing "security concerns." In a statement, the
Saudi-owned station said that the decision to quit Beirut was taken "out
of concern for the safety" of its 27 employees.

The decision is believed to be the direct result of threats by the
Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia. Hezbollah is furious with Saudi Arabia
and other Arab countries for their recent decision to label the Shiite
militia as a terrorist group.

Al-Arabiya's decision to close its bureau in Beirut came shortly after suspected Hezbollah thugs went on the rampage inside the offices of the Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, destroying equipment and furniture.

The attack
came after the pan-Arab newspaper published a cartoon marking April
Fool's Day, which was deemed "offensive" to Lebanon and its flag. The
message behind the cartoon was that Lebanon has become a failed state
because of the growing power of Hezbollah and Iranian meddling in the
internal affairs of the country -- something that has prevented the
election of a new Lebanese president.

The crackdown on Arab journalists and media outlets by Hamas,
Hezbollah and many Arab governments (including the Palestinian
Authority) is not only aimed at silencing critics, but also at hiding
from the world what life is like under dictators and terrorists. In
light of the fact that Al-Arabiya's staff has been recently decimated,
advocates of freedom of the media might wish to tune in.

Khaled Abu Toameh, an award-winning journalist is based in Jerusalem. Follow Khaled Abu Toameh on TwitterSource: http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/8073/arab-journalists Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.

Honorees include CAIR, useful idiots and others.

Before 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed outed Adnan el-Shukrijumah as the “next Mohamed Atta;” before Shukrijumah found recruits to carry out bomb plots in London and New York; before he was placed on the FBI’s “most wanted” list with a $5 million reward for his capture; and before he was killed during a December 2014 pre-dawn raid in Pakistan; he was prayer leader at the Darul Uloom mosque, in Pembroke Pines, Florida. This month, the former spiritual home for one of al-Qaeda’s top terrorists held its 2016 annual awards ceremony.

Adnan el-Shukrijumah was not the only al-Qaeda terrorist to pass through Darul Uloom. “Dirty Bomber” Jose Padilla was a student at Darul Uloom. And Darul Uloom Arabic teacher Imran Mandhai, along with mosque goers Hakki Aksoy and Shueyb Mossa Jokhan, hatched an operation at Darul Uloom to blow up different structures, including area power stations, Jewish businesses, and a National Guard armory. Indeed, according to the mosque’s imam, Maulana Shafayat Mohamed, at least one of the 9/11 hijackers may have spent time at his mosque.

Shafayat Mohamed has his own radical history. He has been thrown off a number of Broward County boards due to anti-homosexual activity. In February 2005, an article written by him was published on the Darul Uloom website, entitled ‘Tsunami: Wrath of God.’ In it, he claims that gay sex caused the 2004 Indonesian tsunami. Shafayat Mohamed’s article doesn’t just target homosexuals. It also attacks Jews and Christians (“People of the Book”). In the piece, Shafayat Mohamed writes that most Jews and Christians are “perverted transgressors.”

None of this meant anything to the Islamists and idiots who more than happily accepted awards from Shafayat Mohamed and Darul Uloom and helped them raise money at their 2016 Al-Hikmat Annual Awards Ceremony and Fundraising Dinner, Al-Hikmat being the media arm of Darul Uloom.

One of the award recipients was Wilfredo Amr Ruiz, the attorney for the Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). His award plaque read, “In Recognition of Your Civil Rights and Community Services.” Also in attendance, seated in the audience, was CAIR-Florida CEO and Regional Operations Director Nezar Hamze.

CAIR was established in June 1994 as part of a terrorist umbrella group headed by then-global head of Hamas, Mousa Abu Marzook. In 2007 and 2008, CAIR was named by the US Justice Department a co-conspirator for two federal trials dealing with the financing of millions of dollars to Hamas. Since its founding, a number of CAIR representatives have served jail time and/or have been deported from the United States for terrorist-related crimes. In November 2014, CAIR, itself, was designated a terrorist group by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government.

CAIR-Florida reflects the extremism of its parent organization. In August 2010, CAIR-Florida Executive Director Hassan Shibly, who has denied that Hezbollah is a terrorist group, wrote, “Israel and its supporters are enemies of God...” In July 2014, CAIR-Florida co-sponsored a pro-Hamas rally in Downtown Miami, where rally goers shouted, “We are Hamas” and “Let’s go Hamas.” Following the rally, the event organizer, Sofian Abdelaziz Zakkout, wrote, “Thank God, every day we conquer the American Jews like our conquests over the Jews of Israel!”

Ruiz is also the legal advisor for Sofian Zakkout’s group, the American Muslim Association of North America (AMANA). AMANA regularly promotes white supremacist and former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke. In fact, the latest posting on AMANA’s Facebook page is an anti-Jewish David Duke video. In July 2010, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) condemned AMANA for posting onto its website homepage another anti-Semitic Duke video. The ADL described the video as being “venomous.” The video was posted right above an expose about Ruiz.

Another award recipient was Tamara Tillman Ayon, the Florida Director of Government Affairs for Emerge USA. Her award was for what Darul Uloom calls “her accomplishments in the political arena.” As well, participating in the awards ceremony were the National Executive Director of Emerge, Tamim Chowdhury, who was an MC for the event, and the Florida Director of Emerge and former CAIR representative, Ghazala Salam, who was an award presenter.

Emerge USA, despite its patriotic sounding name, has an extremely radical agenda based on terrorism and bigotry shrouded in the guise of political advocacy.

The main individual behind Emerge USA is Khurrum Wahid, a South Florida attorney who has built his name on representing high profile terrorists. They include members of al-Qaeda and financiers of the Taliban. According to the Miami New Times, Wahid, himself, was placed on a federal terrorist watch list in 2011.

Emerge sponsors events at terror-linked mosques. They include Darul Uloom and the Tampa-based al-Qassam (a.k.a. Islamic Community of Tampa), which was founded by Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader and former Khurrum Wahid client Sami al-Arian. Emerge also sponsors speeches made by Muslim extremists, such as Islamic lecturer Sayed Ammar Nakshawani, who has previously called for the destruction of Israel. Nakshawani gave featured talks in at least two Emerge benefit dinners, one in 2014 and one in 2015.

Not all the Darul Uloom award recipients were Islamists. Useful idiots who received awards at the 2016 ceremony included: Pembroke Pines Commissioner Jay Schwartz; President of the Foundation to Advance Interfaith Trust and Harmony, Rabbi Mark Winer; and Dean of Pastoral Formation at the St. Vincent De Paul Seminary in Boynton Beach, Rev. Gregg Caggianelli.

Receiving an award from a place like Darul Uloom that has been associated with so many terror-related individuals and so much bigotry directed at homosexuals and others is no honor. It is, instead, a shameful embarrassment. And to help raise money for such a facility is equally shameful.

The awards should be handed back to those who gave them, along with the message that terror and hate will not be tolerated.

Joe Kaufman was the 2014 Republican nominee for United States House of
Representatives in Florida’s 23rd Congressional District. He is an
expert in the fields of counter-terrorism, foreign affairs and energy
independence for America. He has been featured on all major cable
networks, including Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC and C-SPAN. Joe has been
instrumental in getting terrorist charities shut down and terror-related
individuals put behind bars. Exactly one month prior to the September
11 attacks, he predicted the attacks by stating that the 1993 World
Trade Center bombing was no aberration and that it would happen again.Source: http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/262900/darul-uloom-2016-terror-awards-joe-kaufman Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.

If Lebanon's banking
sector does not comply with the law it will be barred from the
global financial system, which could bring about its collapse

Introduction

The Hizballah International Financing Prevention Act, passed by the
U.S. Congress in December 2015, is aimed at curtailing the organization's funding
of its domestic and international activities, and also at combatting its global
criminal activities – including money laundering, drug trafficking, and human
trafficking – by which it funds the terror operations that it carries out
worldwide.[1]
It bars any "foreign financial institution" that engages in
transactions with Hizbullah or with persons or bodies affiliated with it, or
which provides them with financial services or launder money for them, from
maintaining a relationship with the U.S. banking system. This means that any
bank in the world, including in Lebanon, that provides financial services to
the organization will be denied access to U.S. financial institutions – and
thus to the global financial sector. The ramifications of this are far-reaching
and can lead these banks to collapse. The law also imposes sanctions and
penalties (fines, imprisonment or both) on individuals or bodies that violate
its provisions. It came into effect on April 15, 2016, after the U.S. Treasury
issued regulations for its implementation; the Treasury also published a list
of some 100 bodies and figures associated with Hizbullah with whom financial
institutions may not conduct dealings.[2]

Since Congress passed the law, Hizbullah has
been perturbed and apprehensive about its ramifications and the impact it would
have on its operation. This has been expressed both in statements by Hizbullah
officials and in articles in the Lebanese press, especially the press close to
Hizbullah.[3]
In a speech a few days after the law was passed, Hizbullah secretary-general
Hassan Nasrallah exposed his concern, by warning Lebanon's banks not to "submit to the will of
America."

In early May 2016, two weeks after the law
went into effect, Riad Salameh, governor of the Banque du Liban (BDL),
Lebanon's central bank, stressed, in a directive to Lebanon's banks, the need
to fully comply with the law. Following this, Lebanese banks began to close
accounts of Hizbullah officials and their family members, and it has been
reported that dozens such accounts have already been closed. Hizbullah reacted with
a campaign of severe criticism against Salameh and the Lebanese banking system,
accusing them of "surrender[ing] to the American financial mandatory authority in Lebanon and warning that this would
bring about the collapse of Lebanon's currency and lead to "complete chaos"
in the country. Hizbullah ministers argued that the banks had crossed every red
line, and other Hizbullah members leveled threats against the banks.

These reactions clearly indicate the scope
of Hizbullah's fears about the U.S. law and its ramifications. It should be
noted that in recent months Hizbullah has also been the target of sanctions by
the Gulf states and several other Arab countries, which have designated it a
terror organization and have begun expelling its operatives from their
territory.[4]

It should further be noted that it is not
only Hizbullah that is concerned about the U.S. law, but also Lebanon's banking
sector, because if it does not comply with the law it will be barred from the
global financial system, which could bring about its collapse. In light of
these concerns, two Lebanese delegations were recently dispatched to the U.S.,
one on behalf of the Lebanese parliament and the other on behalf of the Association
of Banks in Lebanon. The aim of the visits was to meet with U.S. Congress and
Treasury officials and to discuss the law and its implementation, and perhaps
also persuade them to soften the language of the law and provide guarantees for
the Lebanese banks' stability.[5]

This report will review Hizbullah's
apprehensions about the U.S. law as well as the organization's threats to the
Lebanese banking sector, the Lebanese government, and the U.S. following the
law's passage by Congress, and the intensification of these threats since the
Lebanese banks began implementing the law.

Following Congress's Passage Of The Law,
Nasrallah Warns Lebanese

Government, Banks Not To Comply

On December 21, 2015, three days
after President Obama signed the act into law, Hizbullah secretary-general
Hassan Nasrallah claimed that the law was part of the U.S. war on his
organization that it declared years ago. In an attempt to downplay the
importance of the new sanctions, Nasrallah argued that they would have no impact.
He added that ever since the U.S. designated Hizbullah a terrorist organization
in 1995, it has been trying to force the rest of the world to accept this
designation, but to no avail; he added that since it failed in this attempt, it
is now making false accusations against the organization. "The
Americans," he said, "are trying to pressure Hizbullah again with a
decision they issued, according to which it is a criminal organization, and
they are accusing us of drug trafficking, human trafficking, and money
laundering. This is not true. These accusations are unjust, and we are not interested
in presenting proof of our innocence, because the accuser is the one who should
be presenting proof... This is a political accusation, part of a political,
security, and military campaign in the region, aimed at tarnishing Hizbullah's
image in the eyes of the peoples of the world... It is part of a psychological
war that will not succeed."

As part of his
attempts to reassure Hizbullah's supporters and to convince them that the
sanctions would have no impact, Nasrallah stated that his organization holds no
accounts in Lebanese banks, nor any investments in or partnerships with Lebanese
companies or merchants – and that therefore neither the BDL nor any other Lebanese
bank has any cause for concern. At the same time, he revealed his concerns when
he said: "The minute the U.S. gives the signal to harm some sector or
political stream, some Lebanese banks will begin settling scores [with that
sector or stream]." He declared that this would be
"unacceptable" and warned the government and the banks against
"obeying the American will." He claimed that these American sanctions
were aimed not just at Hizbullah but at Lebanon's citizens, companies and
businessmen, and demanded that the Lebanese state defend them: "We do not
want the state to defend Hizbullah and its operatives, its sons and its
daughters. We are defending ourselves and know how to do so. But the state must
have people to defend any individual that the Americans wish to accuse."[6]

Hizbullah Faction In Lebanese Parliament:
American Law Will Spur Hizbullah To Act Against U.S.'s "Terrorist Branches"
In The Region

On December 24, 2015, several
days after Congress passed the law, the Hizbullah faction in the Lebanese
parliament harshly criticized the U.S. over it, saying that "arrogance and
terrorism" were behind the decision targeting Hizbullah, its supporters,
and "ostensible organizations and elements working with it". This, it
stated, confirmed that the U.S. administration is indeed "the Great
Satan." The faction also said that the law "would
spur Hizbullah to continue its actions against the American takeover plan and to
continue resisting its terrorist branches, represented by the Zionists and takfiris,
in Lebanon and the region."[7]

Hizbullah-Affiliated Daily: Sanctions Could
Lead To Intra-Lebanese Tension

Additionally, on March 31, 2016,
the Lebanese Hizbullah-affiliated daily Al-Akhbar published an article implicitly
warning that the U.S. law would destabilize
Lebanon: "As the countdown to the release of the regulations for
implementing the American anti-Hizbullah sanctions begins, the fears that the [Lebanese]
domestic arena will be impacted by it and its ramifications are revived... as have
fears that this issue will become volatile..."

The article
also outlined the assessments that the sanctions and the anticipated
regulations for their implementation will be harsh and will cover a broad range
of individuals and political, financial, and media institutions, and added that
if this proves to be the case, "it could constitute a worrisome factor that
could stoke domestic tension [in Lebanon,
especially] in everything connected to Hizbullah's reaction to the attempts at besieging
it..."[8]

On April 11, 2016, the U.S.
Treasury Department released the regulations for implementing the Hizballah
International Financing Prevention Act; they included details for applying the
sanctions as well as a list of 99 Hizbullah-linked individuals and institutions
with whom banks and financial institutions worldwide may not conduct business.
The law, which as mentioned came into effect on April 15, 2016, is binding on
all the world's financial institutions, including Lebanese banks.

On April 28, 2016, the governor
of the Central Bank of Lebanon, Riad Salameh explicitly stated, on the Lebanese
LBC TV channel's show Kalam Al-Nas, that Lebanese banks must comply with
the U.S. law. He stressed: "The American law cannot be circumvented,
because the regulations for its implementation include all currency, including
the Lebanese lira." The BDL, he said, would issue a statement emphasizing
that Lebanon was committed to complying with the law and would hold banks
responsible for implementing it. He added, "This will be clear and there
will no way to get around it. This is an official and legal position. The banks
must align with us."[9]

A few days
later, on May 3, 2016, Salameh issued guidelines requiring "all banks in
Lebanon and all institutions under the oversight of the BDL" to comply with
the law and to immediately inform the BDL of any freezing or closure of any
account, or of any refusal to open any account, and to state their reasons for
doing so.[10] According to reports in
the Lebanese press, Lebanese banks have begun implementing these guidelines,
and have already closed dozens of accounts belonging to Hizbullah MPs and
associates.[11] Salameh's guidelines
sparked enraged responses from Hizbullah.

Riad
Salameh (nna-leb.gov.lb, April 4, 2016)

Hizbullah MP: U.S. Is The
Great Satan, We Must Resist Its Plans In The Region

Hizbullah MP Hussein Al-Moussawi threatened
the U.S., saying: "The U.S. is still the leader of the camp of lies, and,
as the Great Satan, it attempts to give the resistance a satanic image, and
marginalize it with terrorism accusations and economic sanctions... The sons of
the ummah should be wary of the American plans and carry out resistance against
them."[12]

Hizbullah: Salameh Surrendered
To "The American Financial Mandatory" Rule In Lebanon; Implementing
This Law Will Lead To Chaos In The Country

After Lebanese banks began
closing the accounts of Hizbullah affiliates, the organization launched
criticism not only at the U.S. but also at the Lebanese banking sector. On May
12, 2016, the Hizbullah faction in the Lebanese parliament issued an
exceptionally harsh statement against Riad Salameh, noting: "The recent
American law, which forces Lebanese banks to comply with its sections, is completely
unacceptable because it will form the basis for a local war of exclusion, which
the central bank and other banks are helping to stoke. This is in addition to
the fact that complying [with the U.S. law] constitutes an appropriation of
Lebanese financial sovereignty."

The statement
also said: "The orders recently published by BDL governor Riad Salameh...
are a form of unjustified surrender to the American financial mandatory
authority in Lebanon – which could exacerbate the financial crisis in the
country, lead it to bankruptcy because of the ramifications of the deep schism
[that could come about] between the Lebanese and the banks, and place the
country on the brink ofagrave currency collapse in the country and
complete chaos that will be unstoppable." The announcement also called on
the governor "to reexamine the recent guidelines, such that they will be
compatible [with the principle] of national sovereignty," and on the
government "to take the necessary steps to prevent the dangerous
ramifications that are likely to emanate from this."[13]

Hizbullah-Affiliated Daily: Hizbullah Is
Furious At BDL Governor For Reneging On Understandings It Reached With Him

The Lebanese daily Al-Safir,
which is close to Hizbullah, revealed on May 13, 2016 that the reason for
Hizbullah's fury at the BDL governor is that the guidelines he issued for the
banks effectively countermanded previous understandings at which he had
secretly arrived with Hizbullah, that were meant to mitigate the impact of the
sanctions. According to the report, former Hizbullah MP Amin Shiri had
concluded with Salameh that the Lebanese banks would not decide independently
on the closure of any Lebanese citizen's bank account, but would obtain Salameh's
personal approval beforehand. They also agreed that the banks would allow any
citizen, including Hizbullah members, to open an account in Lebanese lira.
However, the new guidelines that Salameh released in early May contradicted
these understandings; under the new guidelines, banks should close accounts on
their own and then inform the BDL, and must prevent Hizbullah members from opening
accounts in Lebanese lira –because the American regulations for implementation
specifically bar opening accounts in any currency.

According to Al-Safir,
Hizbullah was surprised, and enraged, by Salameh's guidelines. It quickly tried
to contact him, but after receiving no persuasive answer, it decided to publish
the harsh statement against him, and to raise the issue in the upcoming cabinet
session.[14]

The daily Al-Akhbar,
which is also close to Hizbullah, added that the organization had sent a
message to Salameh claiming that "some banks decide for themselves to go
too far in implementing the American sanctions, punishing Lebanese [citizens]
that the U.S. did not even seek to sanction." The daily added that
Hizbullah had told Salameh that it would not allow the Lebanese banking sector
"to act purely as the executive arm of the American administration [in
carrying out its] decisions."[15]

Al-Safir: Lebanese
Elements, Saudi And UAE Foreign Ministers Worked To Step Up The Sanctions

Al-Safir reported that
several MPs, apparently from Hizbullah, had complained to parliament speaker
Nabih Berri that the regulations for implementation released in April by the
U.S. Treasury Department had included new sections that were not in the law
itself – for example, that the sanctions apply to all currencies, not only to
U.S. dollars. They argued that these additions undercut
the understandings between Hizbullah and Salameh, which were aimed at
circumventing the sanctions and mitigating their effects. The MPs argued that
an apparent "Lebanese element... leaked these [Hizbullah-Salameh understandings]."
The daily cited sources as saying that "there is an Israeli-Lebanese-Arab
lobby operating daily in Washington under the direct supervision of the office
of Saudi Foreign Minister 'Adel Al-Jubeir and the office of UAE Foreign
Minister 'Abdallah bin Zayed," and adding that UAE Ambassador to
Washington Yousef Al-'Otaiba is working hard on this matter in Congress and the
Treasury Department.[16]

Hizbullah Ministers: Lebanese Banks Have
"Gone Too Far" In Implementing The American Law"; This Crosses
All Red Lines

On May 12, 2016, the same day the
Hizbullah faction in the parliament issued its statement against the Lebanese
banking sector, Hizbullah ministers raised the issue in the cabinet session.
The Al-Akhbar and Al-Safir dailies reported that Hizbullah
ministers in the unity government, Hussein Al-Hajj Hassan and Muhammad Fneish,
had delivered scathing attacks on the Lebanese banks, saying that they had
"gone too far in implementing the American law" and had begun
"taking steps against people with no ties to Hizbullah other than familial
ties to organization officials."

At the meeting,
Hizbullah ministers claimed that one bank had closed the account of the
daughter of a former Hizbullah MP. Al-Hajj Hassan claimed that banks had also
recently closed the accounts of MPs Nawar Al-Sahili, 'Ali Fayyad, 'Ali Ammar,
and 'Ali Al-Miqdad, as well as that of former MP Amin Shiri. Also closed, they
said, were accounts belonging to various cultural, religious, healthcare, and
societal institutions, as well as charity organizations; he also expressed
apprehension that the accounts of dozens of local municipalities would be
closed "on the pretext that they [are administered] by Hizbullah
members." It was also reported that during the meeting, other ministers
who are not members of Hizbullah related how U.S. and French banks had refused
to open accounts for them and also closed their existing accounts.

According to
Al-Hajj Hassan, these closures constituted"a serious attack that
crosses all red lines," especially since the law harms all Lebanese, not
just one group or sect. Other reports in the Lebanese press noted that Al-Hajj
Hassan had issued threats, and had said that the BDL guidelines and the conduct
of the banking sector had "crossed the red line and reached the black
line, and Hizbullah will not agree to this, and the American sanctions will not
be allowed to pass." It was also reported that Hizbullah ministers had called
the Lebanese banks' implementation of the U.S. law submission to aggression,
and added that there must be no silence over this law, "because the
occupation is not only military, but also financial, political, and
cultural."[17]

Al-Safir
reported that some ministers from the March 14 Forces, the rival bloc in the
unity government, were claiming that Hizbullah had brought this situation on
itself, and that the resistance had become a weak point for Lebanon, not a
source of strength. Furthermore, one minister argued that Hizbullah ministers could
not shift responsibility to the Lebanese banks or the BDL governor, since no
one in the world can confront the U.S. The cabinet meeting ended with a
decision by Prime Minister Tammam Salam and Finance Minister 'Ali Hassan Khalil
to meet with Salameh to discuss the matter and update the government on the
results.[18]

On May
14, 2016, the Lebanese daily Al-Nahar quoted sources in the
Hizbullah-headed March 8 Forces as saying that the organization would not
remain silent about the new guidelines released by Salameh, and that it would not
back down from its demand that they be cancelled. The sources argued that the
banks were implementing the sanctions also against people who were not on the
U.S. Treasury Department list, only because they were Shi'ites or relatives of
a Hizbullah member. They added: "How is it possible that the bank accounts
of MPs representing the Lebanese people are being closed – how will they
receive their salaries?"

Hizbullah maintained that the BDL and the other
banks are going beyond what the Americans are demanding in their implementation
of the sanctions, and thus are strangling an entire community. The sources
said: "When [Hizbullah] asked the BDL governor about the implementation of
the U.S. law, he said nothing about what he is implementing today, but [said that
there would be] an investigation and an examination of every account about
which there are doubts... But closing the accounts of innocent people who have
no connection [to Hizbullah] without any investigation or examination [as is
happening right now] – that is a dangerous sign ofconcessions on
Lebanese sovereignty and of punishment of the Lebanese people by the state,
which we will in no way allow to happen." The sources argued that the
government must "cancel the BDL's guidelines, otherwise [Hizbullah] will
react not onlyby thwarting the government['s activity] but willupend
everything, andwill open the file of the banking sector from the
1990s onward..." – hinting that Hizbullah has information on improper
conduct by the banks.

Asked what
was meant by the term "upend everything," the sources quoted a hadith
attributed to Imam 'Ali bin Abu Taleb, the fourth caliph: "I am amazed how
a poor man who lacks a crust of bread does not go out and brandish his sword at
the people" – hinting that Hizbullah's reaction will be harsh.[19]

Nasrallah:
We Face A Challenge To Obtain Monetary Aid – "We Will Be Grateful For
Every Donation"

Hizbullah
officials' threats and harsh reactions clearly attested to the distress and
pressure felt by the organization, and to the scope of the sanctions' impact on
its activity. Additional evidence of this could
be found in a May 6, 2016 speech by Nasrallah following the release of the
regulations for implementing the U.S. law.

In his
speech, Nasrallah reiterated, as he had first stated in his December 2015
speech, that the sanctions would do little damage to Hizbullah because the
organization was accustomed to such pressure and that it would overcome it as it
had in the past "under much worse circumstances." But despite
Nasrallah's efforts to convey the message that Hizbullah was just fine, the
scope of the economic damage done to the organization came through in his
statements, in which he noted,inter alia, that the Islamic Resistance
Support Organization was now playing a vital role in financially helping the
organization. He even personally appealed to the public of supporters of the
resistance for monetary donations, no matter how modest:

"I want to talk about this point openly,
so that the people will also know how we think and operate. We first of all
consider the importance and real value of the intention of the donors, not the
size of the contribution... The families of the martyrs donate, the wounded
donate, the people donate, the elderly lady who saved for her old age gives a
little of her savings to the resistance, the boy who is in school takes some of
his allowance and drops it into the cashbox of the
resistance. This, for us, is worth millions. This is the real support for us...

"Therefore, today, when we stand before America's,
Israel's, and Saudi Arabia's attempts to dry up our sources of funding, we must
realize that the sums donated by this or that family via the the Islamic
Resistance Support Organization, even if modest, are in fact very large and
extremely valuable sums. Obviously, we do not want to embarrass anyone... [so
that they will] donate to us, but we trust the faith, the insight, and the
reliability of all those who donate to us, since they are the people with whom we
have, together, [overcome] the most difficult of days and circumstances, and the
most dangerous of challenges and hardships. With them, we have completed the
path; we have triumphed, and passed through all the difficult stages; with
them, we will pass through all the
difficult stages to come, Allah willing."

In an attempt to reassure the resistance-supporting
public, he added that they must not worry, because Iran would continue to send
economic, material, and military aid to Hizbullah despite the pressures and
threats against it as well.[20]

*H.
Varulkar is Director of Research at MEMRI; E. B. Picali is a Research Fellow at
MEMRI.

[19] Al-Nahar (Lebanon), May 14, 2016. This hadith is attributed
to Abu Dhar Al-Ghafari, a Companion of the Prophet Muhammad, and the fourth
person to be converted to Islam by him. However, no verification or evidence
has been found for such a hadith in the Book of Hadiths, and some even claim
that it is not reliable.

It should be mentioned that ISIS
leadership views the Sinai province as a key extension for the
organization outside of its core area of control in Syria and Iraq.

On May 5 2016,
the Islamic State (ISIS) launched a campaign to support and encourage
its branch in the Sinai Peninsula. The campaign consists of a series of
videos published by the media offices of 14 ISIS provinces, mainly in
Iraq and Syria. The videos featured ISIS fighters, with
an emphasis on Egyptians, praising ISIS in Sinai, calling on it to
remain steadfast, goading it to continue fighting against the Egyptian
army, and lashing out at its ideological rivals among the Islamist
movements in Egypt. The speakers in the videos stressed the strategic
importance of Sinai as "the gateway to Jerusalem."

As has become customary in similar
ISIS media campaigns,[1] the entire apparatus of media groups and
activists that support ISIS sprang into action: According to coverage of
the campaign in ISIS's official weekly Al-Naba', media groups produced
11 video clips, 3 nashids [songs], 282 posters and 49 articles. In
addition to this came a torrent of social media postings by ISIS
supporters disseminating the videos and other messages praising the
Sinai province. For example, the pro-ISIS media group Al-Wafa'
Foundation contributed 15 articles praising the ISIS Sinai province and
lashing out at the Egyptian government.

Notably, Sinai province itself seems
to be facing significant setbacks with regards to its own media
operation and rarely releases new videos. [2]

It should be mentioned that ISIS
leadership views the Sinai province as a key extension for the
organization outside of its core area of control in Syria and Iraq.
Indeed, the Sinai province is considered one of the most powerful and
effective among these extensions thanks to its daily attacks on the
Egyptian security forces and the downing of the Russian airliner
(Metrojet Flight 9268), which had a global impact.[3]

Several explanations can be provided for the launching of the campaign at this time:

First, the campaign might be an
indication that the Sinai province is facing hardships due to the
Egyptian military's ongoing efforts against it. Second, the campaign,
which calls upon Egyptians to join ISIS in its war on their government,
may be an attempt to capitalize on the growing anti-government
sentiments and on the recent uproar in Egypt caused by the announcement
of a deal to hand over a pair of Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia. Third,
it possible that ISIS sees a need to strengthen the extension in Sinai
as a fallback, as it continues to lose territory in Iraq and Syria.
Fourth, it is likewise possible that ISIS's media apparatus decided to
tout Sinai as a major front of jihad as part of an effort to direct new
recruits there, in light of the difficulties foreign volunteers are
facing in entering Syria.

The following report will review a selection of the videos and articles in the ISIS campaign:

Threats To The Egyptian Military

A video produced by the Salah Al-Din
province in Iraq features two fighters, Abu Qaswara Al-Masri – an
Egyptian, and Abu Omar Al-Maqdisi – likely a Palestinian from Gaza, who
called on the members of ISIS in Sinai to remain steadfast and continue
targeting the Egyptian army and the Jews in Israel. They urged the
Egyptian people to join the mujahideen in Sinai and swear fealty to the
"Caliph" Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi.

Addressing the soldiers and officers in
the Egyptian army, Al-Masri said: "We advise you to repent before we
manage to find you. If we find you, there will be no other [fate] but
beheading for you. There will be no mercy for you and you are aware of
that. You have seen what the soldiers of the caliphate have done with
your colleagues and you will see. I advise you to repent. I am a
truthful advisor to you." He then promised to liberate the prisoners in
Egypt with guns, as opposed to with petitions and appeals.

The video also condemned the leaders and
members of the Muslim Brotherhood who were described as "deviants and
bankrupt" and criticized the newly-announced plan by Saudi Arabia to
build a bridge to Egypt. "As for the bridge which Al-Saloul [derogatory
term describing the ruling family in Saudi Arabia] are planning to build
to support the tyrant of Egypt Al-Sisi, it will turn against them and
will be the gate through which the mujahideen will manage to conquer the
Arabian Peninsula," Al-Maqdisi said.

A video produced by Al-Furat' province
[which comprises of the area around the towns of Albu Kamal in eastern
Syria and Al-Qa'im in western Iraq] features young ISIS fighter from
Sinai, Abu Al-Bara' Al-Sinawi, who warned "the soldiers of the tyrant"
and threatened that they will be killed if they do not repent. Al-Sinawi
is then shown beheading a young man who was accused of planning to join
the anti-ISIS Sahawat ("Awakening") militias in Iraq.

ISIS Experience In Iraq – Inspiration For Sinai

In an attempt to provide inspiration and
encouragement for the members of ISIS operating in the Sinai, a video
produced by Al-Anbar province in Iraq compares the peninsula to that
Iraqi region. The narrator in the video notes that ISIS in Sinai has
benefited from the experience from jihadi groups in other fronts,
especially in Al-Anbar, which has similar characteristics to those of
the Iraqi desert in terms of the landscape, the tribal character of the
local population and so on. Two fighters in the video speak of the
history of ISIS in Al-Anbar in order to inspire their comrades in the
Sinai. They describe how it began operating with a handful of men and
grew under harsh conditions into a formidable force with many recruits.
This video also featured archival video footage of an Egyptian suicide
bomber named Abu Muslim Al-Masri, who carried out an attack in Al-Anbar
three years ago, as another means of inspiring Egyptians to join jihad.

ISIS operative from Al-Anbar

The video from Ninawa province in Iraq
featured a fighter named Abu Suhaib Al-Ansari who praised ISIS in Sinai
for targeting the Egyptian government and condemned the Muslim
Brotherhood for taking part in the political process in Egypt and for
insisting on being peaceful.

Abu Omar Al-Ansari, another ISIS fighter
who appeared in the video told ISIS fighters in Sinai to target the
Egyptian government and "spill their blood and communicate with them
with guns and explosives and turn them into corpses with bombs." He then
called on Muslims everywhere and especially those in Gaza to join the
"soldiers of the Caliphate" in Sinai.[4] He urged the people in Sinai to
support the mujahideen, saying: "In a few days, you will see the result
of the clear conquest after you have seen the result of dignity and
empowerment. The victory is coming soon."

Israel – Sinai Province's Next Prey

In the video from Dijlah province, Iraq,
an unidentified fighter threatened Israel, saying it will be ISIS
Sinai's next prey Sinai after it is done fighting the apostates in
Egypt. Addressing his comrades in Sinai he says: "You are fighting today
in Sinai and the Jews are a stone's throw away from you. They are
enraged and terrorized by what you are doing with their tails, the
apostates [the Egyptian army], not because they love them but because
they are scared for themselves, and because they know they are the prey
that awaits, which you will finish off after the apostates, Allah
willing." Another fighter stressed that ISIS in Sinai is the "gate" to
liberating Jerusalem: "Know that you are fighting today in the Sinai
province, and the eyes of your brothers the mujahideen are directed
toward you as you are the gateway to the liberation of Jerusalem, Allah
willing. Know oh brothers of tawhid [monotheism] that the war
is harsh, so prepare yourselves, roll up your sleeves and chop off the
heads, and repel with your steadfastness the Crusader coalition and the
Russians."

ISIS speaker in video produced by Al-Jazirah province

The video by ISIS in Al-Jazirah province,
Iraq, also condemned the Saudi plan to build a bridge linking Sinai with
Saudi Arabia, saying that "this project will fail like the other ones
and will be a bridge through which the mujahideen will cross to the
Peninsula of the Prophet Muhammad."

After praising the mujahideen in Sinai,
Abu Omar Al-Ansari, one of the fighters featured in the video,
threatened the Jews, saying that their air jets, tanks, international
support and agents on the ground will not be able to help them when they
hide behind trees and stones, in reference to the hadith predicting a
war between Muslims and Jews, during which trees and stones would call
on Muslims to come kill the Jews who are hiding behind them. He also
praised ISIS in Sinai for taking revenge on Russia for its bombing of
Al-Raqqa.

Abu Ahmad Al-Tunisi, a Tunisian fighter
who also appeared in the video, urged the tribes in Sinai to support the
mujahideen there, arguing they are working to help the local tribes; he
also called on the people of Gaza to join ISIS Sinai.

Condemnation Of Mainstream Islamists

The video by ISIS in Aleppo province,
Syria, focused on condemning the Muslim Brotherhood and mainstream
Salafis in Egypt for participating in the country's political process.
Addressing the Muslim Brotherhood, one of the fighters who was featured
in the video said: "You are the preachers for polytheism and falsehood,
you are the ones who issued the fatwa for people to take part in the
polytheist democracy, and you are the ones who issued the fatwa for
people to vote for the pagan constitution, which puts sovereignty in the
hands of the people instead of Allah." He added: "You have deceived
your followers that [adhering to] democracy and entering the parliament
will lead to [the implementation] of Islamic shari'a. Now, where is the
shari'a, O enemies of Allah?!" He then called on them to repent.

The video released by ISIS in Falluja
province, Iraq, condemned the Saudi support for the Egyptian government,
claiming that the Saudis have acted on behalf of the U.S. and Israel.
Shams Al-Din Al-Masri, an Egyptian ISIS fighter who appeared in the
video, said that the goal of the intended bridge between Sinai and Saudi
Arabia is "to be a new source for the enemy's fire against the
mujahideen in Sinai. Allah willing, it will only be the gate to
conquering the land of the Peninsula, Mecca and Medina."

Poster accompanying video produced by Al-Khair province, Syria, showing the "road to Jerusalem"

Egypt-Saudi Bridge Will Make It Easier For ISIS To Conquer The Arabian Peninsula

Al-Khair province (Dir Al-Zour), Syria,
published a video titled "The Glint of Sword and Hope." The video
features two main speakers – Abu Yahya Al-Homasi, and Abu 'Omar
Al-Masri, who claims to be a former Egyptian soldier. The video praises
ISIS Sinai, stressing that it scares Israel more than anything. The
video features messages of support for ISIS Sinai and the promise that
the Islamic State would soon spread towards Egypt, Bait Al-Maqdis
(Jerusalem and Israel as a whole), and the Arabian Peninsula. The
narrator in the video states that unlike various Palestinian factions,
ISIS will not relinquish a single inch of Palestine, and that all of
Palestine from the Jordan river to the Mediterranean Sea is Muslim
land.

Abu Yahya Al-Homasi stressed that he and
his ISIS comrades yearn for the moment that they can fighter
shoulder-to-shoulder with their colleagues in Sinai province against the
Egyptian army and the Jews, in order to liberate Bait Al-Maqdis
together. The speakers in the video highlight the achievements of the
Sinai mujahideen, especially the downing of the Russian airliner with
the 224 "infidel Russian crusaders onboard" as revenge for Russian
involvement in Syria. Muslims in Sinai are called to support ISIS
soldiers and join their ranks. The narrator says: "Oh, our people in
Sinai, the soldiers of the Islamic State are merely your brothers and
sons. They and we rose up merely to enact the laws of Allah and to
prepare the weapons for the fight against the Jews, and to rid Bait
Al-Maqdis of their filth. Therefore, oh sons of Sinai, gather around
your sons, aid and protect them, since honor will be under their banner,
while humiliation will belong to their enemies." The speakers also
threaten Egyptian soldiers and Sinai tribesmen to cease their actions or
be responsible for their own fate.

Abu 'Omar Al-Masri mocks Saudi Arabia's
intention to build a bridge to Egypt, claiming that it would only make
it easier for ISIS in Sinai to cross to the Arabian Peninsula and
liberate it from the filth of "Al-Saloul."

Abu Abdallah Al-Masri, speaking in Tripoli province's video

ISIS Preacher Condemns Egyptian Army "Crimes"

The video by Tripoli province, Libya,
titled "Rewards Will [Eventually] Be Given To The Godfearing" features
an ISIS preacher in Libya named Abu 'Abdallah Al-MAsri, who promises
Sinai fighters that their sacrifice will eventually pay off and Allah
will reward them with the right to enter Paradise. The video focuses on
Egyptian army crimes against Sinai residents, and accordingly, Abu
'Adballah calls on ISIS fighters to continue killing the "tyrant's"
soldiers and assassinate military personnel, media figures, and judges.
According to him, the Egyptian army is a cowardly army whose soldiers
use narcotics and violate everything that Islam forbids. At the end of
the video, the narrator says: "The mujahideen will not stop until their
cleanse every last inch of the filth of the tyrants and their agents. By
Allah, the soldiers of the Islamic State will not abandon their people
and brothers in Sinai so long as they are alive. They will continue to
strike the strongholds of the infidels and Jews until Allah grants them
victory, until the Jews hide behind rocks and trees, and until the
general Muslim public will soon be seen in the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Allah
willing."

Egyptians Called To Join ISIS Sinai

The video by ISIS in Hama, Syria, was
titled "A Message to our Brothers in Sinai." The vide opens with the
narrator recounting the achievements of ISIS Sinai, especially the
downing of the Russian airliner and the bombing of an Egyptian naval
vessel. Later, the video's main speaker, Abu Al-Baraa' Al-Shami, sends
messages of encouragement and support to ISIS fighters in Sinai. He
stresses that the eyes and ears of the mujahideen in Syria eagerly await
news of the achievements of their colleagues in Sinai. He expresses
hope that they will soon unite and participate together in the victory
over the enemies of Allah. Abu Al-Baraa' praises ISIS Sinai's war on
"the Pharaoh of Egypt" – President Al-Sisi – and calls on it to be
steadfast and patient despite their inferior numbers, since their
victory is assured. He later speaks at length of the fear that ISIS
fighters have caused Egyptian soldiers, causing the regime to turn to
the Jews and Crusaders and ask for help. However, since they continued
to suffer blows at the hands of the mujahideen, they turned to the royal
family in Saudi Arabia – "the tyrant of the Arabian Peninsula."
According to him, the Saudis responded, and even announced they would
build a bridge connecting the Sinai and Arabian peninsulas. However, Abu
Al-Baraa' says that the true purpose of this bridge is not to benefit
the two countries' economies as they claim, but rathe!
r in order to fight ISIS in Sinai. He later addresses all Muslims in
Egypt and urges them to help their mujahideen brothers in Sinai, since
they are defending their honor and property. He adds: "You have tried
nonviolence and eventually tasted humiliation and suffered its results
of shame and degradation. So go forth, defend your religion, and your
mujahideen brothers."